I am so proud to bring back the Supreme Award for the second time with my garment "Wanton Widow".   Made from an old china cabinet and antique singer sewing machine drawers - both old and in need of restortation (or in this case repurposing!). A beautiful wooden axle which you cannot see is made from the leftover wood of the oak china cabinet.  A story about a widow in the Victorian era was inspired by the china cabinet - she is like fragile china for display only. Photos below and here is a link to video footage of her onstage     https://fb.watch/gErl9DSjHh/
The Widowed Seamstress sits lifeless like fragile china for display only.   She has morphed into the mediocre furniture bequeathed to her and is taunted by her redundant blue gown hanging in the corner.
The dusty grief clock chimes a slow and flat tune as she escapes into a dream……….
Riding a penny through town her sadness catches the wind and she begins to feel alive again.  Her legs are freed from the moral fibres of her skirts, a door opens and something ignites from the depths of her womanly desires.

​My upcoming exhibition at Muse Gallery Havelock North 

The natural progression of Kates paint application sees the fragmented strokes coming back together, but this time using a different sequence.  It appears human DNA has altered slightly, since recent years of the pandemic.  Fabric like skin, using random brushstrokes, enmeshed together in a weave almost implies tattered subjects. With tentacles or feelers possibly reaching for support  each subject meets these issues with an unwavering gaze, showing strength of character and depth of wisdom that is capable of self mending and rebuilding in the face of adversity.  
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I am excited about being a finalist for this years Parkin Drawing Prize. 
Using a sewing machine as my pencil, Layer upon layer of tulle and cotton draw an almost haunting holographic image that represents movement, time and distance.
The images of Ukrainian refugees escaping their country were a stark reminder of historical wars we witnessed on our monochrome TV screens.  Yet current times of misinformation suggest the facts are no longer black and white.
I drew pencil figures on white canvas which were removed after the tulle was added. Random off-cuts were then salvaged from the floor and applied unconsciously to create blurred lines to distort the truth. 


Here is a link to a video of this piece
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Z3A4MR-AE
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I am a finalist in this years World Of Wearable Art in WEllington. I cant show you an image until after the Awards night so watch this space.
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I am excited to be part of the designer panel at Te Papa this Sunday for an informal Q & A discussion about our experiences as artists/designers for the  World Of Wearable Art. The WOW Up Close exhibition is also on, so if you are in Wellington it is a must see! Go to this link for more details 
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https://www.facebook.com/WorldofWearableArt/photos/a.373431053122/10157893904583123/

​MAYDAY FOR CICADAS : An exhibition by Kate MacKenzie

Is it a hopeful mating call? Or a cry for help?
That’s the question artist Kate MacKenzie poses through her upcoming exhibition at Muse
Gallery in Havelock North. Mayday For Cicadas is a new body of work inspired by childhood
– a time when life was simpler, slower, and the only buzzing, burring and ringing came from
nature rather than the pervasive technology of modern life.
Surrealist painter and two time finalist in the Adam Portrait Awards, MacKenzie says,
“Mayday For Cicadas reorders the world from an imagination that is solution-based.” It draws
on the New Zealand of our recent past, when the summer soundtrack of the cicada was
“something we could take for granted. Now, I wonder, do we hear a mayday, or is it that we
have stopped listening?”
MacKenzie’s body of work, showing at Muse in October also reflects the way a worldwide
pandemic has impacted our lives. “We have either struggled or thrived during many weeks of
lockdown. The need to immerse ourselves in our beautiful beaches and forests during this
time became deeply felt.”
Each piece connects us to this shift in our collective consciousness. “New Beginnings” is
about re-entering the world with new perspectives. “The Graduate” is inspired by the many
young men and women who encourage us to find hope amid confusion. Other works
demonstrate how a warming planet and pandemic bring challenges, with no guarantee of
survival. Yet hope springs eternal for MacKenzie; her central muse sees with large eyes,
implacable calm, arresting beauty.
Multiculturalism is also a recurring motif – there is an integration of Maori and Pakeha
symbols enmeshed in her work, representing MacKenzie’s own values of equality, respect
and tolerance.
Her portraits and landscapes have elements of a montage, too, bringing together emblems
of her concerns for the world. “I like to use a collection of subconscious images that aren’t
usually seen together and then add conscious thought to establish a meaning or message.”

I am excited about my up-coming solo exhibition in Sydney from 17th October...see details below.

I also have two garments selected for this years World of Wearable Art in Wellington. I cant tell you any details of the garments but can tell you one is in the Open Section and one is in Avant Garde.

​We are left to question our priorities in the face of climate change and poverty.

Remnants of the 2nd industrial revolution arrogantly forge on as the 4th begins.

The future is uncertain, but through the smog comes a new world order – strong, inclusive, hopeful and ready to guide humanity to the next paradigm.